FOUR WINGS BENEATH THE VINEYARD

industry and nature

The location has a specific charm: a vineyard above, an industrial area in front. Business and production meet the relaxation centre of our lives – nature. Ideal on the one hand for the client, the IT company Xeptum Consulting AG, and on the other for the planning office of Anna Philipp, that the design of the company’s main site – called “Place X” – was precisely about such a synergetic mixture. At the interface between industry and nature, a differentiated building structure was created consisting of four angled wings connected by a common flat foyer. Between them are planted open spaces, with the vineyard landscape almost all around. There are also green roofs, photovoltaics and a varied wooden façade. There is a roof terrace with a large cafeteria on the main wing. Thanks to its own kitchen, employees can also cook or barbecue here – for team events, for example.

colour palette

First, however, an open staircase and a plaza lead employees and guests from all the companies based at the headquarters into the building, where they can then enter the self-sufficiently planned wings via their own portals or frequent the bistro. There is also an underground car park, connected via golden green staircases. The colour palette of the interior is dominated by various shades of green and a dark blue – Xeptum’s corporate colour. Various natural woods with coloured accents are combined with black and white tiles and contrasted by red eye-catching furniture. The three-storey Xeptum wing is adorned with a green lacquered, semi-circular curved steel staircase, covered by a skylight dome. The working environment is characterised by group and open-plan offices, supplemented by smaller office units and individual offices for the executive floor and the accounts department. Meeting zones and flexible team areas, conference rooms, telephone booths and single workstations are also included. And in the face-to-face rooms separated off in the open-plan space, you can also take a quarter of wine from the neighbourhood with you from time to time in the evening.

What do you consider to be the key qualities of a good workplace?
Philipp Architekten: A good workplace must express the individual corporate identity – keyword: corporate architecture – and move with the times – keyword: new work. The design of the space must inspire creativity and at the same time promote peace and contemplation. At the same time, there must be maximum flexibility to facilitate adjustments to future developments in the company organisation.
Do you see any similarities in interior design for living and working?
Definitely, because we spend a large part of the day at work. People, the employees, are increasingly taking centre stage and no longer want to do without a certain “cosiness” and a homely atmosphere at work. An attractively designed workplace where people feel comfortable not only increases the productivity of employees, but also has a demonstrably positive effect on the success of the company and has also become an extremely important success factor in the “battle for talent”.
Which functional aspects do you consider to be the most important for the future development of workspaces?
Needs- and future-oriented work in the sense of “New Work” in the age of digitalisation has become an integral part of the modern office world. A varied room programme – consisting of individual, group and open-plan offices, supplemented by meeting zones, team areas and places of retreat – is just as important as an appealing interior design that creates a homely atmosphere.